Abraham Lincoln

Born in Kentucky in 1809, his family later settled in Illinois. He served one term in congress before joining the Republican Party in 1856. His bid for the U.S. Senate in 1858 failed, losing to Stephen Douglas. However, he was elected President as a Republican in 1860. He was determined to hold the Union together. Southerners feared Lincoln's Presidency would end slavery and threaten southern political power. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation after the Battle of Antietam (September, 1862.) Union successes by General's Sherman and Grant helped ensure his re-election in 1864. Lincoln was assassinated by John W. Booth on April 14, 1865, only five days after General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox.